Elizabeths Tale
by Whisper1
Summary: Elizabeth was good at staying invisible, until a certain knight refused to let her live her life as a shadow.
1. The Discovery

**Chapter 1**

Saxons live for killing, a fact that Elizabeth Mason knew quite well. Her family was slaughtered by the Saxons and she barely made her escape with her little brother to the wall, Hadrians Wall that is. For that is where she knew she would be welcome. It was also where the great knights of Sarmatia lived under the rule of King Arthur. They were made famous for the battles that they fought. Although their numbers have decreased in size over the years, six of them had made it to their freedom. After 15 years of service only six of them lived. Given their freedom, they had a choice. They could either leave Britain and go back to their home land or they could stay and make a life in Britain.

As intimidated as Elizabeth was, she was able to find work at the local pub with a lady named Vanora. Elizabeth was given the task of making sure all the dishes were cleaned each night and after everyone left she was to sweep up and wash the tables. Elizabeth was relieved because she never had to come face to face with the customers. It was because of that fact that two years later most people didn't know she existed. Elizabeth was able to live a quiet life and she was never bothered by anyone to explain herself. However, her curious nature that tended to get her into trouble from time to time was about to deceive her.

One morning, on her daily walk through the fields, Elizabeth noticed a black stallion tied to a tree. There wasn't any sign of his owner anywhere around. Being a curious lady, Elizabeth slowly made her way toward the horse. Although curiosity may have piqued her interest she was still quite afraid of horses. As she got closer, the horse lifted his head up from eating grass and fixed his gaze on her. This action alone caused Elizabeth to immediately stop moving closer. She figured that they were at a stalemate. The horse wouldn't stop watching her and Elizabeth wouldn't move until the horse looked away.

"He won't hurt you ya know." The tree that the horse was tied to appeared to be talking to her. A lone figure jumped down from the branches. He had hair like a lions mane and eyes as blue as the sea. The man took a step toward Elizabeth and her instincts kicked in, taking a few steps back. He gave a bit of a chuckle.

"I see he's not the only one you're afraid of." He said as he took another step closer. Elizabeth took a look around and noticed that they were completely alone. There wasn't another soul around for miles. Usually that would be fine for her, it was actually the reason that she took the path that she did. Only now it seemed like more of a problem than a good opportunity. This man could harm her in anyway he wished and no one would be around to help her. Taking one last look into his eyes she turned around and made a mad dash in the direction she came from. Her skirt seemed to be providing a lot of resistance but she was still flying. At one point she turned around and noticed the man hadn't been following her. Instead he stood right where she left him and just watched her flee. During work that night Elizabeth couldn't get those eyes out of her head. Never had she seen eyes as majestic as those. While talking to Vanora she discovered that the man from earlier was Gawain, a knight of the round table. She inwardly cringed understanding how big of a fool she had made of herself. He probably would be in the pub that night telling his friends about the crazy mute lady he encountered earlier that day. Focusing on her thoughts, she didn't notice Vanora come to the back until she spoke.

"There is this man out there who has been asking me all sorts of questions about his mystery girl from this morning." Elizabeth almost dropped the plate she was washing.

"What have you told him?" Elizabeth said in her quiet mouse voice.

"The truth. That you had lived here for a few years, that you were quite quiet and that he was not to harass you in anyway." Elizabeth let a sigh of relief go.

"Thanks Van. You're a good friend."

"Yes, I suppose I am. He's asked for your name countless times but I refuse to give it to him. Mostly it's just for my own amusement, but I believe that if he had your name you'd never be rid of him. Just note, he will be on the lookout for you for a while. If you choose to remain as unsocial as usual, you might want to stick to the shadows a little better." Elizabeth nodded at Vanora and went back to her work.

Later that night, once the pub was empty and Elizabeth was done with her work, she locked up and started her walk home. Preoccupied by the stars, she didn't notice the two drunks making their way toward her until it was too late.

"Aren't we a pretty one? What's a young thing like you doing out so late at night without an escort?"  
"Walking." Elizabeth started walking around them hoping that they would loose interest and leave her alone. That wasn't the case as they started following her. Cursing herself for her bad luck throughout the day, Elizabeth took off at her fastest speed and raced toward her home. The two drunks took off after her, albeit a little slower due to their inebriation. As she came flying around a corner, her skirt caught under her feet and sent Elizabeth flying to the ground, allowing the drunks to catch up. The taller one grabbed her arm and threw her against a wall. As tears leaked their way down her face, Elizabeth frantically looked around for help. Not seeing anything it was quite a shock that, while the tall one tried to steal a kiss from her, the blade of a sword had been put up to his neck.

"Release the lady." It took the drunk a second to comprehend those three words, but he slowly moved backwards, allowing Elizabeth to move away from the wall and take note of the situation. Standing there with a sword to a drunk mans throat was the man she ran from earlier, Gawain. He was talking so low that she couldn't hear the words he spoke to the man. Realizing at that moment that she had been chased by two drunken men, Elizabeth looked around for the other one. She found him being pinned up against the wall by another man with a sword. She guessed he was another one of the knights. He had shorter hair with a few braids in them and eyes that would have frightened away Satan himself. Tribal marks graced his cheek bones and at that exact moment he fixed his gaze on her. Embarrassed by the way she had been openly staring at him, she looked down. A moment later the knights released the two men, who went scampering away, and turned their attention toward her.

"It's dangerous to be taking a walk at this time of night by yourself, milady, what were you thinking?" The evil one asked her but before she could even think about answering Gawain noticed who she was.

"Hey, you're the lady that ran away from me earlier today. I've been looking for you." He started making his way closer to her and immediately Elizabeth started panicking.

"Thank you both for what you have done for me on this night, I am eternally grateful but I must be going." With that said, Elizabeth turned around and was about to take off in a run yet again when she felt a mans hand on her arm turning her around.

"Always off at a run are we? Do you not remember that it is quite late and still inappropriate for you to be running around without an escort?" Gawain asked, making sure not to be right in her face.

"I'll be fine. I don't live far from here." Elizabeth made to turn again when his grip turned her back to face him.

"At least give me your name fair lady, so that I may know what to call you the next time we meet."  
"There won't be a next time. Good bye." Elizabeth turned around and finally started running. She didn't stop until she was inside her small house with the door locked. Sliding down to the floor, breathing hard, Elizabeth mentally slapped herself. Vanora had told her to stick closer to the shadows. Hoping that Gawain would take her running off twice as rejection and move on, Elizabeth went to bed and started dreaming of the very stars that had gotten her in trouble earlier that night. However, instead of being discouraged, Gawain was even more interested.

"Have you ever seen her before Tristan?"

"Aye, I have. Then again, I see everything."  
"Stop playing with me, and tell me what you know."  
"Seems how you've asked so nice, her name is Elizabeth. She's been working here for about two years in the back of the pub. Other than that she keeps to herself. A loner. It is very possible that she is hiding something."

"Elizabeth, a beautiful name." And as Elizabeth was dreaming of stars, Gawain was dreaming of Elizabeth and her silent eyes.

Waking up the next morning all Elizabeth could think about was the two men that had saved her the night before. They seemed like complete opposites and yet they had a brotherly bond that was obvious. Gawain had kind, blue eyes and although he held a sword in his hand for part of the time, he seemed genuinely caring and warm. The other man, however, had a cold and uncaring manner and his eyes seemed empty.

On her daily walk, Elizabeth made sure that she kept out of sight everywhere she went. At one point she noticed Gawain ahead with three other men, laughing and goofing off. Elizabeth backed into the first shadow that she could find, careful not to alert anyone to her presence. Looking for a way to maneuver around these men, Elizabeth didn't notice the pair of eyes watching her or the shadow that was moving towards her from behind. In fact, she didn't even realize she wasn't alone until she felt someone's breath on the back of her neck as the man behind her spoke.

"Hiding from someone? Gawain's not that scary, is he?" Elizabeth turned around to face the other man from last night. He had an amused gleam in his eye.

"Not hiding, just being cautious." Elizabeth stepped to one side and the man stepped right in front of her.

"Cautious of what?"

"Just cautious." Silence engulfed the two of them. The man took this time to study Elizabeth, quite openly. Elizabeth looked down, then to the sky and then, finally, she forced herself to look this man in the eye. Just as she was opening her mouth to say something one of the men with Gawain called over.

"Tristan! Are you coming?" Ah, so his name was Tristan. Tristan took his eyes off of her for a second to look towards his comrades and that gave Elizabeth just enough time to slip away. In all reality Tristan let her get away, he was a scout and if he had wanted to, he could have stopped her. Yet he saw the panic in her eyes and knew she was close to freaking out so he broke eye contact.

Later that evening, while washing dishes for Vanora, Elizabeth discovered how true Vanora's words had been when she said Gawain wouldn't stop looking for her. Concentrating entirely too hard on a mug, Elizabeth didn't hear the door swing open and it was only when he cleared his throat and she spun around that she discovered Gawain had made his way past Vanora to the back.

"Now, you don't have to look so panicked. I promise not to move from this very spot the entire time we are talking." Knowing that he was just jesting with her about her previous running record, Elizabeth managed a half a smile.

"Is there something that I can help you with Sir Knight?"

"Well, for starters you don't have to call me Sir Knight, Gawain will do, and secondly you could grace me with your name." Elizabeth thought about it for a moment before finally giving in.

"Elizabeth."

"Well, Elizabeth, I was wondering what it is about me that makes you take off at a run every time we happen to meet up on the street. Is it the hair?"  
"No."

"Is it the beard?"

"No, it's not the beard." Gawain stared at her expectantly waiting for her answer. Elizabeth couldn't take looking in his eyes a moment longer, they seemed to be reaching into her soul and reading her darkest secrets. When it became clear that she wasn't going to speak, Gawain tried another tactic.

"Why do you fear horses so much?"

"I don't fear horses!" This small outburst amused Gawain and he knew he found a small crack in her defensive shell.

"If you don't fear horses then why did you approach mine with such timidity?" Elizabeth sighed.

"I think horses are beautiful, intelligent creatures and I have nothing but respect for them. However when I get closer to them a small, very small apprehension comes out." Gawain nodded, secretly ecstatic that he was getting this quiet, shy girl to give him full sentences and it only took two other meetings that ended up with her running from him.

"If you would like, I could help you with that." This peaked her interest.

"What do you mean?"  
"Well, I could teach you about horses, and even get you to ride one. Are you up for it?" Elizabeth was torn. She didn't want to start making friends because it was hard to stay in the shadows, especially if she made friends with a knight. On the other hand she had always wanted to learn to ride a horse, even though she feared them. Looking up at Gawain, Elizabeth decided.

"Alright." Gawain was thrilled.

"Good, meet me tomorrow by the stables and we can start. For now I shall leave you to your work. Good night sweet Elizabeth." And with that Gawain left. Still quite shell-shocked that she had actually agreed to horse riding lessons, Elizabeth took a deep breath in and continued her work.

The next morning Elizabeth showed up at the stables quite early, yet she wasn't the first one to arrive. Gawain was already there and talking with his horse. Pulling back into the shadows Elizabeth took a moment to observe this man. This man who sought her out for lord knows what reason. She hadn't led him on at all, if anything her behavior toward him couldn't only be seen as defensive and not interested. Yet, he still sought her out and made it a point to spend more time with her. Well, she thought to herself, here goes nothing. Slowly, she made her way toward Gawain and his horse. As she got closer she could hear what he had been saying to the tame beast.

"Now the lady that you will be meeting is a little frightened of you so you better be on your best behavior. Just keep calm and try not to move around so much. If everything goes alright this morning I promise I'll take you for a nice gallop around the hills later on, eh?" Patting the horse on the nose, Gawain turned around only to find himself face to face with Elizabeth, who immediately took three steps back, distancing herself from the knight.

"Good morning, milady. I see you made it here with no problems."  
"Good morning, sir knight."  
"Please, I told you, just Gawain is perfect. Now shall we begin?"  
"Yes, let's begin." Despite her rather nonchalant appearance, Elizabeth was secretly panicking on the inside.

"Elizabeth I'd like you to meet Jack Sparrow, around here he is just known as Sparrow. Sparrow has been my horse for many years." Gawain gestured towards a black horse with a white spot on the front of his face. The horse itself was not the most beautiful of his kind, but by looking in his eyes anyone could tell that he was full of spirit.

"Now, in order to make any progress here, we should try to get within, say a foot of Sparrow." Gawain held out his hand for Elizabeth to grab and join him. Giving a look of uncertainty Elizabeth took baby steps towards Gawain. Finally, when she was quite close she slowly lifted her hand and gently placed it into Gawains larger grasp. He took this chance to pull her towards Sparrow, who was doing his job and standing in one spot, lest he get to romp around in the hills afterwards. Standing there, right beside Sparrow, was a great feat for Elizabeth and she felt quite proud of herself. Then again, she was thinking the same thing when she realized how close she was standing to Gawain without freaking out.

"See, it's not so scary. You could even pet him if you would like." Elizabeth nodded and shakily put her hand on Sparrow. Sparrow happened to shift at this moment, startling Elizabeth and she withdrew her hand and tried to step back. The only thing stopping her was the hand of the strong knight that was still placed on the small of her back.

"It's alright, you're alright, he was just shifting his feet."  
"Sorry, just startled me I guess."

"Quite alright, let's try this again shall we." This time Gawain took Elizabeth's hand in his own and brought it to Sparrow and they both started stroking the horse. Thinking about the horse in front of her, Elizabeth realized something.

"So, are all of the horses named after great myths of pirates?" It took Gawain a second to answer; he was quite shocked that she picked up on that fact. A smile graced his face as Gawain looked down on her. It was intense enough to cause Elizabeth to blush and look away.

"Sorry, I don't mean to embarrass you but no one has ever picked up on that fact before. You are a very observant young lady. To answer your question, no. Sparrow here is the only legendary pirate amongst the horses." Elizabeth nodded and continued stroking the horse. The back and forth motion of her hand, well Gawains hand guiding her hand, put Elizabeth in a trance. What seemed like hours later, Elizabeth again realized how close Gawains body had gotten to her, his one arm wrapped around her waist as his other arm was still guiding her hand in petting the horse. Suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of being caged, Elizabeth pulled away from the horse and its master in one motion, causing Gawain to snap out of the trance that he had put himself in.

"Is everything alright?" Gawain started to walk towards her but recognized the look in her eyes and stayed where he was.

"Nothing is wrong. I just have to go; time seems to have gotten away from us. Bye." With that Elizabeth turned around and ran toward her work. Although she wouldn't have to be there for a few hours, she couldn't think of any place else to go.

Gawain on the other hand just stood there, with a smirk affixed upon his face. Strange girl, but never had he been more intrigued. Holding her for those few moments, helping her conquer a fear, it had been one of the most magical moments of his lifetime. One thing was for certain, he couldn't wait to spend more time with Elizabeth. For now he would have to take Sparrow on that run through the hills that had been promised earlier.

On her way to work Elizabeth ran the events of her day through her head and upon thinking about how well she did with the horse a smile graced her face.


	2. Pursuing the Innocent

First off I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews! I was going to abandon this story for awhile, however now I will do my best to continue it. This next part is a lot shorter than the first part. The reason for that is the first part took me six months to write and I didn't want to wait another six months to post more of the story. So from now on the chapters will be shorter but they should be coming pretty frequently. Well enough with me, back to the story

**Chapter 2**

That night at work Elizabeth found it extremely difficult to concentrate on her tasks. The day's activities were still fresh in her head. When she thought back to that morning she could remember the musky smell of the horse, or was it of Gawain? She could still feel the warmth of his hand on hers, helping to take baby steps towards the giant creature that stood before them. A small smile appear on her face when she remembered how his rough hands, hands that had probably killed hundreds of enemies, were so delicate and gentle when it came to her. His eyes, which had seen to many rotting corpses, still held their sparkle of innocence when they looked at her. Even though he had been to battle for many summers and slaughtered enough people to fill multiple winters, Gawain still had his soul and it showed through his baby blue eyes. Tristan on the other hand, his eyes were dark. Not that he didn't have a soul; it was just much harder to see behind the walls he put up and the braids.

The sound of voices being raised snapped Elizabeth back into reality. Why had she been thinking about what kind of eyes Tristan had anyway? Back to her task of washing mugs. It was almost time to sweep up for the night, most of the patrons were already gone, there were only a few people left, including a few of the knights, making Elizabeth wonder just what was taking place out front. Assuming it was just a few drunks getting out of hand, Elizabeth went back to her work, knowing that Dagonet and Bors were out there and they would be able to handle any type of situation.

Once again, at the end of the night, Elizabeth took her time walking home, watching the stars. Being off in her own world, which was something that seemed to happen a lot, she did not notice the silent night following her home until he spoke up, right outside her house.

"It's a nice night out. You can see the stars nice and clear." Even in the darkness Tristan could see the young lass jump at his words and it brought a small smirk to his face.

"You have a habit of sneaking up on people." Not even looking up at him, Elizabeth made her way to her front door. That man unnerved her, that was certain. Whether she minded or not, that was still up for debate.

"And you have a habit of avoiding people." Knowing that she had made it home safe, Tristan turned around and headed for his own bed, disturbed at the thought that this young woman intrigued him so much.

A few days later...

"It's been three days. I think she's avoiding me." Gawain was currently sitting on a bench in the tavern, staring at the door that stood in the way of him and the back room. Bors happened to be the unlucky bastard sitting beside Gawain and had spent the last twenty minutes with his head in his hands, listening to his fellow night drone on and on about how this girl wouldn't give Gawain the light of day.

"Perhaps you should take that as a sign, leave the young lass alone and find some other wench to woo." Gawain snorted at this idea like it was preposterous.

"Fine then. You want the lady so much, tell her that."

"How many times do I have to tell you this Bors, she won't give me a chance to do that. She won't listen."

"She will if you make her." With that Bors went to find Vanora, anything to get away from the lust-filled knight. Gawain thought about it for a moment and decided that was exactly what he was going to do. Only he couldn't wait until the morning, he had to do it tonight.

Elizabeth made her way through the empty tavern to the front door when she noticed there was still a presence in the room. Turning around she saw Gawain, not four feet from her, with an eerily determined look upon his face.

"Take a ride with me," It was so out of the blue that it took Elizabeth a moment to process what he had just said. It took her another moment to come up with a suitable answer.

"Um, no thank you. I haven't quite made that much progress with Sparrow." Elizabeths attempt to back away was thwarted by the wooden door that was currently pressing into her back.

"Well then we should have another training session" Gawain was making his way towards her, like a lion approaching his prey. At least, that's how Elizabeth viewed it.

"Oh, alright. Perhaps tomorrow we can do that." Her hands were becoming sweaty and she could feel her mouth drying up.

"No, tonight. Right now." Stopping less than a foot in front of her, Gawain knew if this relationship was to become anything more than random meetings he was going to have to put everything on the table.

"Now? But it is really late and I'm sure Jols wouldn't appreciate it if we messed about in the stables." Hoping that he would believe her concern for breaking the rules was the only thing keeping her from accepting his invitation didn't seem to be going very well for her.

"He won't even know we were there, I'll make sure everything is put back properly." Elizabeth knew her eyes were probably giving away her fear. She was terrified. Scared of getting on a horse; scared of letting go; scared of the feelings in her stomach; scared of falling and never being able to stop. Of course, he couldn't know that.

"But it's been… well it's…cold outside." Cold outside? That was the best thing you could come up with? While silently scolding herself Elizabeth gave Gawain time to brush some of her hair behind her ear.

"No more excuses." He carefully lifted her chin so he could look her in the eyes. What he saw there didn't shock him; she wasn't a hard person to read once she was unable to run away.

"I'm scared." Her voice almost got caught in her throat and her skin felt like it was on fire.

"I know, we'll go slow" Not knowing if they were still talking about the horse or more than that and not caring, Gawain was ready to go for it, and beneath the fear that was coming off of her in waves he could see, deep in her eyes, she wanted this, wanted him.

"What if I fall?" The emotions that Elizabeth could see in his eyes shocked her. It wasn't just lust; there was want and genuine concern behind those eyes of his.

"I'll be there to catch you." His body was so close to her that she could feel the breathe coming out of his sweet mouth upon her face.

"Promise?" Elizabeth could feel her defenses crumbling. What was it about this man that was able to completely disarm her? Gawain started nuzzling her neck, allowing her to become use to his skin touching hers.

"You have my word."


	3. The First Kiss

Again, thank you to everyone for all the reviews. I am doing my best to write at the same consistency, I'm trying not to lose the characters and it's taking quite awhile. Well enough delaying, here is a short next chapter, hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 3**

"Gawain?" The silence that ensconced them was unnerving to Elizabeth.

"Hmm…" It was hard to get any words out with his constant touch on her skin. It was a feeling that had made her head all fuzzy, something she was not use to and something that she wished she could stop.

"Are you going to kiss me now?"

"Yes." Gawains hands were making their way up and down Elizabeths arms, as if Gawain was attempting to coax her into the situation.

"Oh.." Breathe in…breathe out.

"Oh?" Her breath became caught in a hitch.

"Why?" Once she said it out loud she immediately regretted it. From what she knew, women weren't supposed to ask such questions. Questions like ruined the moment, as least that's what she had heard. Yet she couldn't find a way to stop herself from asking them.

"Why?" Understandably, Gawain's air of voice was touched with a hint of confusion and curiosity.

"Yes, why are you going to kiss me?"

"Do you really need a reason?"

"Yes." It took a moment for Gawain to think up something appropriate to say. He w anted to make sure he was as truthful as possible. No phony lies or false sentiment, he believed she deserved more than that. Taking a deep breath in Gawain dared to go with the truth.

"Because ever since I met you I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. Your mannerisms; the sound of your voice; the determination fixed upon your face when you're thinking of things out of this world. I've noticed you get this look while gazing at the stars that is just magical."

"Oh." Was that disappointment that filled her voice? Perhaps he wouldn't notice, perhaps she would be able to get through this without messing it up.

"You don't seem all too eager about this." Gawain was slowly pulling away in order to get a better view of her face. She was blushing. It ran from the bottom of her neck right to the top of her ears and in his eyes she had never looked more lovely.

"I am, it's just, that sounds like one of Lancelot's lines." A small amused smirk graced his face. Out of all the women that he had chased after and attempted to woo he had never been accused of using one of Lancelots lines. If only she could see the truth. If only she could see that it was the farthest thing from a line.

"I assure you that I have never, and I will never borrow lines from anyone in order to woo yet, let alone a man like Lancelot." Elizabeth found herself a bit confused.

"Lancelot is your brother in arms, I thought the two of you were very close."

"We are. I respect him as a knight and I would kill for him in an instant. However his relations with the female population of this fort are something that he and I do not see eye to eye on. Now enough talk of Lancelot. He is not here, in this room. It is just you and me. I want to kiss you, but I will not do it unless it is also what you want." Gawain was looking Elizabeth straight in the eye. Did she want this? She was a little unsure of herself. There were feelings deep inside of her for Gawain. She had tried to suffocate their growth but they were real and they were there. Without another thought Elizabeth raised her lips up and gently pressed them upon Gawains. She had immediately pulled back, embarrassed of what she had just done but it was enough to convince Gawain of her affection and without another thought he pulled her face to his and kissed her with every ounce of strength he possessed. It was not gently; it was determined. Elizabeth had to grip onto Gaiwans strong arms just to stop herself from falling. She did not like falling.


	4. The Past

Sorry this part took so long, but I was so stuck. Anyways, here it is and thank you so much for the amount of support you guys are giving the story  I hope you like it.

**Chapter 4**

Lying in bed the next day, Elizabeth kept replaying what had taken place the night before in her head. Gawain had kissed her, he actually kissed her. Romance was never something that Elizabeth put much thought into. Now that romance was taking place in her own life she wasn't quite sure what to do. Gawain was quite the persistent, mischievous man. She wasn't opposed to the attention he was giving her. In fact she never thought someone as valiant and brave as a Sarmatian knight would ever pay attention to someone as plain as her. She had other things to focus on, such as day to day life, finding ways to remain as invisible as possible, especially after what had happened to her brother.

The details of that day were as clear as the smell of rain after a storm. She woke up before the sun had even had a chance to make its presence known in the sky. The air around her felt stiff, making it hard for her to breathe. That was the first time that day that she knew something was wrong. It wasn't until later that evening that she had found out why the universe was telling her something was wrong. Elizabeth shook those thoughts out of her head. She couldn't let herself think about the past again. She was not prepared for those flood gates to open. Still, she felt restless and needed to get out of her house. Getting up she decided a walk was in order. Nothing felt better to her than a nice, relaxing walk.

The walk that was supposed to be relaxing was cut short by a storm that had been brewing since the early morning. Elizabeth tried to run for the tavern but she only made it to the barn that the war horses were kept in before the downpour started.

"They'll be wondering where you are." The voice came out of the shadows scaring the ever livin' out of Elizabeth. It was a talent that only one knight had.

"Hello Tristan."

"If it weren't for the rain I'd think you were hiding again." This comment was met with silence. Elizabeth had never been good at lying and, technically, Elizabeth had been in hiding ever since she came to this village. Tristan's gaze never left hers and that's when Elizabeth realized he knew more than he was saying. But how much could he possibly know? The only way to truly find out would be to ask him but if he knew nothing then asking him would raise his suspicions. There had to be something she could say that wouldn't be a dead give away.

"Why do you always assume that I'm hiding?" That seemed like a safe question.

"Maybe because all you've done since you moved to this fort is to hide." Holy cripes. There was no way the scout would utter that statement unless he knew something. The way his eyes never left hers and the way his voice held steady, he knew.

"You know, don't you? You know why I hide."

"Aye, I do. The basics of it anyway. I wouldn't be the best scout Arthur has if I didn't know. You're brother was a traitor to the British army. He would give the Saxons inside information in return for their word that your family would be kept safe. Something went terribly wrong and that's when you showed up at the fort, alone and without family. Care to fill in the blanks or are you going to run from your history yet again?" Elizabeth took a deep breath in as her eyes involuntarily watered. Memories flooded her mind and all of her energy seemed to evaporate out of her body. Her knees seemed to bend on their own and before she knew it she was sitting on the floor of the barn, with Tristan kneeling down beside her, ready to listen.

"My brother was a good man, you must believe me. He was only trying to keep our family safe. When he became old enough to join the army he jumped at the chance to protect these lands with every fiber in his body. Nothing was more important to him than protecting his home. Nothing, except for the safety of his family. It had been a particularly grueling year, we had been losing so many men to the Saxons, and he witnessed horrible things going on. Finally, after two years of battle, he lost any and all hope that the war would be won by Britain. He snuck away one night into the Saxons camp and before they could decapitate him he offered a deal. He would relay any important information about what the British army was doing to the Saxon camp. In return the Saxons would be kind enough to spare our entire family once they took over the country.

You know Saxons well enough to know that they don't keep anyone alive. Once they got all of the useful information out of him they decided they didn't need him anymore and they killed him, but not before he was able to get a message to me, warning me that our family was in danger and why. Unfortunately, my father was a proud and stubborn man and refused to go into hiding. Instead he imprisoned my mother in our home, refusing to let her hide. His conviction was that no Saxon was going to make him run scared from his own home. He did, however, let me go into hiding. I got out of there as soon as I could, but by the next night the guilt of leaving my family behind was gnawing at my gut gruesomely; I couldn't eat or sleep. I knew I had to go back. By the time I got there my parents were dead. That's when I made my way to Hadrian's Wall. When I got here all I heard from the idle gossip on the streets was the vast disappointment everyone had at the fact that one of their own by blood had betrayed the country as a whole. Apparently the information my brother gave the Saxons led to quite a brutal slaughtering. I didn't want to be known as the sister of the traitor so I stayed in the shadows, never asked any questions and that way no questions would be asked of me." Elizabeth allowed the tears to flow down her face freely by this point. There was no use is trying to stop them.

"I am such a coward! I ran away from my home, from my family, from everything I had ever known! I ran at the first sign of trouble and I could never tell anyone who my family was because I was so ashamed! Ashamed of my own family! I'm a horrible person Tristan! My entire family has died with this black cloud hanging over them. I'm the last one alive and I'm not living up to my familys name nobly, I'm not living up to it at all! Instead I run, it's all I've ever done!" Elizabeth worked herself up into a coughing fit and it took a few moments for her to settle down. Tristan sat beside her the entire time, listening to her story, rubbing her back when she couldn't breathe, uttering soft phrases of support. In any other situation Elizabeth would have been completely and utterly embarrassed about how close she and Tristan were. However at this point all she did was grab onto his shirt for support and let the tears freely flow.

Moments later, once her breathing had become normal again, Elizabeth found her throat to be raw and sore. Still, she had come to a decision and she felt that Tristan deserved to hear it. In her smallest voice Elizabeth took a stand.

"I'm tired of running. I don't want to do it anymore. I don't want to be that person anymore." For a moment Tristan wasn't sure if he actually heard her say those words or if it was the wind playing tricks on him. It wasn't until he looked Elizabeth in the eye once again that he saw the small amount of determination in her soul.

"So stop." Such a simple statement, something a child would utter without thinking it through.

"And then what?" Tristan took a hold of her chin and brought her gaze into his own.

"Decide what you do want to do. Decide who you do want to be and then do everything in your power to be that person."

"It's not that simple Tristan."

"It is that simple Elizabeth. It just takes courage in order to do it. Think about how far you've come already. Running away from the Saxons wasn't cowardly, it was smart. Starting a new life over instead of mourning your family, that was brave. You have the strength to get up from this and move forward. For instance, in this exact moment, right here and right now, what do you want to do more than anything?" After thinking for a moment Elizabeth realized that there was only one thing she really wanted to do.

"I want to be happy."

"What makes you happy?"

"Dancing in the rain makes me happy. I want to dance."

"What?" By the time Tristan realized what she had said, Elizabeth was already getting up, dusting the hay off of her clothes and heading for the door of the barn.

"Dance, I want to dance."

"Right now? There is no room in here for that." It was a challenge. Tristan was challenging her to see what she would do.

"That's why I'm going outside."

"It's raining." Elizabeth stopped and looked at him. No more excuses. When he looked into her eyes he saw something that he had never seen there before. It was a spark, a tiny flare in her soul.

"Tristan. I want to dance." With that Elizabeth ran into the open field and proceeded to dance her heart out.


	5. Overcoming Obstacles

So I'm a big jerk because it's been years since I have updated this story. I lost it for awhile, and then I had no urge to write, and then the words just weren't there. Anyways, I am soooooo sorry for all of that. Hopefully it won't be another two years before I update again.

**Chapter 5**

For the first time since he became a knight Tristan did not know what to do. Here he was, standing in the cold and rain, watching some crazy girl spin around and around in the rain. It was juvenile and absurd and yet there was no place he'd rather be. With every thrust of her hips, every movement of her arms, she was dragging him in. Emotionally he had never felt this way about a woman before. However he knew it could never be. Gawain had already made his move and come hell or high water, Tristan could never betray one of his brothers like that. All he could offer this young lady was friendship and protection.

Elizabeth danced until her legs could barely hold her up anymore. She was soaked to the bone and her breathing was going faster and faster, but the smile plastered across her face was evidence that the dancing was, not only therapeutic, but necessary. Once she got her fill of the rain, Elizabeth made her way back into the barn. Without a second of hesitation she waltzed right up to Tristan and threw her hands around him, effectively soaking the scout and earning a scowl.

"Bloody hell woman! You're drenched!" However, instead of pulling away, Tristan relished the feeling of her body pressed against his.

"Thank you Tristan. Thank you for everything, for noticing me when I thought I was invisible and for listening to me when I had trouble forming sentences. Thank you." Elizabeth released the scout and made her way out of the barn. Tristan shook his head. That woman would be the death of him.

Later that day, once the skies cleared, Elizabeth was on another one of her walks when she saw a familiar horse tied to one of the fences. Looking around she couldn't see Gawain anywhere, and even though it scared her, she wanted to pet the horse. Slowly, but with confidence, Elizabeth walked over to Sparrow and put her hand on his mane. She started petting him, softly talking to him the entire time. At one point Sparrow shifted his weight and, unlike the last time, this didn't startle her at all. Feeling quite proud of herself Elizabeth thought back to the conversation she had with Tristan. Trying to decide what she wanted to do in life had become a chore and it was easier to decide that she wanted nothing. However, that obviously hadn't worked out for her. The only trouble was, now, she had to decide what things she wanted to do. Taking another look at Sparrow, Elizabeth had the greatest desire to jump on his back and walk him around the field. Part of her brain told her to wait until Gawain had returned from wherever he was, but another part of her wanted to know if she could do this on her own. If she failed, then she could at least fail knowing that she had given it her all.

"Ok Sparrow, lets prove that I can do this without that blonde scallywag. Nice and slow now. If you could please refrain from shifting until I've got a good grasp on your reigns I'd really appreciate it by the way." On her first attempt at getting onto Sparrow Elizabeth ended up on the ground.

Walking towards the fence he left his horse at, Gawain spotted Tristan standing around the barn. He appeared to be watching something that was making him smirk.

"Whats going on?"

"Look." Gawain followed Tristans line of vision and the site he was presented with left him speechless. His speechlessness was followed by pure panic.

"She's going to get herself killed!" Gawain made an attempt at running towards the horse and the crazy girl but Tristan grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Whoa there Romeo, Let's just see what she can do." Both men looked on at the one woman that had both of their hearts wrapped around her finger unknowingly.

"Ok Sparrow, let's try this one more time." With fierce determination that she didn't know she possessed, Elizabeth put her one foot in the stir up, put her hand on the saddle, and pulled herself up, swinging her other leg around to the other saddle, successfully mounting a horse on her own.

"I did it? I did it!! Sparrow, we did it!!! Yes!!" Elizabeth threw her hands up in the air in celebration! Both men looking on wore proud expressions across their faces. Both watched her dismount the horse on her own before Gawain went over to congratulate her on her victory. Tristan remained where he was, fighting a battle that was going on inside his head. Despite knowing it could never work out, he couldn't stop admiring this woman who was overcoming everything in her path. Regardless of her shy appearance, this girl was a force to be reckoned with. Giving them one last look, Tristan made his way to the tavern, intent on making himself forget about this woman by drinking himself stupid.

As it turns out, drinking himself stupid is exactly what Tristan did. Pint after pint, Tristan found that his feelings would not disappear. If anything, they became stronger and stronger. At one point he saw Elizabeth enter the tavern and go to the back. He had forgotten that she had worked there.

At the end of the night Elizabeth had to kick Tristan out so she could lock up.

"Come on, it's time to go home and sleep all of this off. I need to close up and head home myself." It took some pushing, but eventually Tristan stepped outside of the Tavern. He refused to take his eyes off of this woman. It was starting to make Elizabeth a bit uncomfortable. She was not use to men looking at her like that.

"Are you going to be alright Tristan? You'll be able to get back to your room ok, right?" Tristan leaned up against her, effectively trapping her against the Tavern door.

"I can find my way just fine. Would you like me to show you first hand?"

"Tristan, stop fooling around. You're drunk and I've had a long day. I just want to go home."

"Oh I know you've had a long day. You overcame a hurdle, I was there. I was there when Prince Gawain rushed to you and scooped you up in his arms with pride. Must have been exhausting!" This was starting to turn ugly and Elizabeth didn't want to deal with Tristan anymore. She tried pushing him out of the way a couple times before he let her win. However, he kept following her, taunting her when he could, which started to irritate her to no extent. Tristan knew he was being an ass, he couldn't help himself. The drinking and trying to hold feelings in, all of it had taken a toll on him. Normally he would be able to stop himself. Normally he would be able to walk away from this situation. This wasn't a normal situation and even as he continued his advances, he knew he would regret everything once he woke up in the morning. Finally Elizabeth snapped.

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Elizabeth stormed through the field doing her best to put distance between the frequently frustratingly close-minded scout and her own un-certain body.

"Because you make me feel." Tristan was not about to let her walk away this time. She had to know, even if she didn't feel the same way, she had to know.

"Feel what?!?" Everything he said seemed to be riddled with code and it took her all the strength in her body to try and figure out the hidden messages coming from his mouth. Tristan grabbed her arm and spun her around in order to stop her from walking away. It also gave him the chance he craved to stare straight into her eyes in order to make sure that she was listening to every word he said.

"ALIVE! Just hearing your damn voice fills me with more hope than a thousand release papers ever could!" It took a moment for what Tristan said to sink in. Elizabeth had never heard him talk this way to anyone.

"Hope? Hope for what?" Her voice was so quiet that she was sure if he was even two feet further away from her he wouldn't be able to hear her. His rough hold on her arms became a gentle grasp as he constantly ran his hands up and down her arms causing goose bumps to rise to the surface.

"A future, hope that I may actually escape this Roman hell with a reason to live! For the first time in my life I do not want to die on that battle field and that, Elizabeth, is why I'm going to kiss you."

Before Elizabeth had a chance to even reply his mouth was on hers making sure she felt every bit of the feelings he had for her.


End file.
